Manoah was a believer. He believed his wife had seen an angel. He believed the words that the angel of the Lord spoke. He believed that his son was intended by God to grow up and take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines. He was not a fool and he immediately recognized that his wife and he were being given an awesome responsibility. They were responsible for preparing their son to do God’s work. He did not believe he knew how to do that without instruction.

He did not have the latest and greatest, yet often contradicting, parenting techniques we have today. There were no self-help videos on YouTube, and no parenting section of the public library. He could only learn from the experience of others. Truth learned from the experience of others is called wisdom. Wisdom provides us with principles and probabilities, but it cannot provide guarantees. He believed this was too important a task to risk to probability. He prayed that God would send his angel once again so he might talk to him, and God answered his prayer.

When they met, Manoah asked the angel the question he most wanted the answer to; “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?” Manoah wanted to do his job right and he wanted to know the rule that would guarantee the result. Unfortunately for him, there was no rule. Because of free will, there is nothing Manoah could do that would guarantee his son would grow up and become the man that God wanted him to be. The best Manoah and his wife could do was be obedient to God.

The same is true for Christian parents today. There is no rule that guarantees our children will be righteous. We can be obedient, protect them from evil, raised them to know the Lord and that He has a purpose for their lives. We do our best, then we must trust, hope and pray.